Meet Our Scholars

Johnathan was raised in the South in Charlotte, North Carolina. In high school he served as Sophomore and Junior Class President, Student Body President and member of the National Student Honor Society. At age 19, he was forced to leave Duke University after his father discovered he was gay and refused to provide tuition support. In the spirit of resilience, Johnathan became a fierce LGBTQ youth advocate, co-founding the North Carolina Lambda Youth Network, a statewide leadership development organization for other LGBTQ youth located within the oppressive Bible belt region. He has served as lobbyist for the NC HIV/AIDS Alliance and Youth Program Coordinator for the LGBT Community Center of Cleveland. He is a graduate of Public Allies, AmeriCorps and the National Gay/ Lesbian Task Force's Youth Leadership Institute. At age 21, the Advocate Magazine named him one of the nation's Best and Brightest Activists. He later worked in the field of progressive philanthropy engaging other young people around ways to effect social change through the creative, responsible and strategic use of financial and other resources. A graduate of the Pratt Institute, Johnathan plans to utilize his design studies to promote sustainable design and increase LGBTQ visibility within the environmental justice movement.